nixCraft 🐧

Using ChatGPT too much damages your critical thinking skills - Microsoft Research

Read the full report here https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/the-impact-of-generative-ai-on-critical-thinking-self-reported-reductions-in-cognitive-effort-and-confidence-effects-from-a-survey-of-knowledge-workers/

The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers - Microsoft Research

The rise of Generative AI (GenAI) in knowledge workflows raises questions about its impact on critical thinking skills and practices. We survey 319 knowledge workers to investigate 1) when and how they perceive the enaction of critical thinking when using GenAI, and 2) when and why GenAI affects their effort to do so. Participants shared […]

Microsoft Research
Jun 6, 2025 at 8:31amWeb
Show threadKlaus FrankJun 6, 2025

@nixCraft Well that one has become quite obvious by now but good to have a study to quote though.

Just look at the people "arguing" on Twitter where both sides just copy and paste chatGPT output to each other and neither side being right.

Show threadcallie 3: chipwreckedJun 6, 2025
@nixCraft as someone who's currently in school, the use of llms in place of actual research or even just a quick google actually scares me a little. I'll be in a group project and everyone just says "oh ill ask chatgpt" when they need to know something and I wanna just grab them by the shoulders and shake them
Show threadKieran LJun 6, 2025
@nixCraft Ugh, might ask a LLM to summarise that for me
Show threadCONFIG.SYS: LOADHIGHJun 6, 2025
@klittle667 @nixCraft And then form you own opinion? Crazy!
Show threadLance, Enjoying Copious PollenJun 6, 2025
@nixCraft At 23 pages, that's TL;DR. Can we just get an AI summary to save time?
Show threadJörg VolbersJun 6, 2025
@analogfusion
😂🤣😂
@nixCraft
Show threadAlDownunderJun 6, 2025
@nixCraft wow! These guys needed research to realise that would happen 😉
Show threadJacquelineJun 6, 2025
@nixCraft Some welcome irony!
Show threadS.T. VejeJun 6, 2025
@nixCraft Microsoft research? In that case I can only assume their conclusion is "This is a feature not a bug"
Show threadCiourte PiailleJun 6, 2025
@nixCraft Yeah, just like smoking and drinking too much damage our living skills.
It's pretty cool, though, isn't it!? A cigarette a day keeps the doctor away. 😉
Show threadGlitchy PixelJun 6, 2025

@nixCraft Quote from the paper:

"We find that GenAI tools reduce the perceived effort of critical thinking while also encouraging over-reliance on AI, with confidence in the tool often diminishing independent problem-solving. As workers shift from task execution to AI oversight, they trade hands-on engagement for the challenge of verifying and editing AI outputs, revealing both the efficiency gains and the risks of diminished critical reflection".

I'm going to call that "the idiot CEO effect".

Show threadStefan Baur 8 * 💉Jun 8, 2025
@nixCraft Critical thinking skills died long before ChatGPT became a thing …